Fact sheet

Fact 1
Born and raised in the beautiful city of Maastricht but I cannot speak the local dialect.

Fact 2
Up until my 15th year I dreamed of studying veterinary medicine. At the age of 10 I spend every Saturday morning assisting at a veterinary practice. When I realised that I prefer to talk with people I changed my mind to medicine.

Fact 3
Before taking up cycling as a life style I played pan flute with Gheorghe Zamfir as my hero.

Fact 4
My two brothers and father, and actually my whole family are very fond of beer. They brew it, taste it and collect it. Loving beer runs in our family, somehow it missed me.

Fact 5
The beautiful country of South Africa was my first travel destination by myself. Studying and travelling for 4 months based in ‘the City of Roses’ changed my life.

Fact 6
In season 2007-2008 I worked with a premier league Australian Rules Football Team in Melbourne. The same day that I arrived in Melbourne I was taken to my first ‘footy game’.

Fact 7
During my two years in radiology I took every opportunity to get away from my desk to talk to patients. To actually meet the person behind that radiology investigation I was studying. That’s when I realised radiology is not for me.

Fact 8
Even though I was born in hilly surroundings of Maastricht, I only started cycling in 2011. By then I did not live there anymore.

Fact 9
By finishing the Tour-de-France, edition 2012, one day ahead of the pro’s I managed to cycle 3.564 kilometres in 21 consecutive days. A bit more compared to the pro’s because we had cycle to the hotel after the finish.

Fact 10
The past 4 years I raced in 116 road races in the Netherlands, Belgium and France being part of an official cycling team.